The political crisis in Bangladesh has assumed a dramatic twist as a criminal proceeding has been brought against the overthrown Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and six of her allies over the alleged death of a grocery shop owner in the process that brought down her government.
Since Ms Hasina’s ouster on August 5 this year, the militarized politics and state of lawlessness and anarchy have led the accused to perpetrate more violence, including attacks on religious minority groups and more than 230 extra-judicial killings. It has come to a total of 560 as a result of the anti-quota protests that began in mid-July.
Nevertheless, the country’s prime minister—the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus—has been seeking to stabilize the situation and hold parliamentary elections. Yunus stressed that people should be equal before the law regardless of their religion.
The international community has also been keen on the situation in Bangladesh. For example, the United Nations has been it. The UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has supported moves by the interim government to restore order and organize parliamentary elections, although he said that women and members of minority groups should also be allowed to vote.
The United States has also been closely following the events in Bangladesh. Recently, the White House dismissed the claims that it forced the Bangladesh Prime Minister to resign.
